Tomas Woldetensae Hit Seven 3’s to Lift Virginia Over Wake Forest

Without the trio of stars that led them to a national title last year, the Virginia Cavaliers have searched for scoring all season. Success varied through their first 18 games, but not on Sunday in their 65-63 overtime victory against host Wake Forest. Newcomer Tomas Woldetensae scored a career-high 21 points to lift the Hoos over the Demon Deacons, all coming from beyond the arc. His three-pointer with 3:55 remaining in overtime broke a 58-58 tie and Virginia never trailed again.

Woldentensae, a junior college transfer who hails from Bologna, Italy, hit seven three-pointers for Virginia on 14 attempts. Despite going to overtime, head coach Tony Bennett kept his rotation tight. Only six players registered more than 10 minutes of floor time, with Woldentensae leading the way (43 minutes). Prior to the breakout performance against Wake Forest, Woldentensae had never played more than 34 minutes or scored more than 11 points in a single game.

Braxton Key and Kihei Clark joined Woldentensae with more than 40 minutes of action.

The Hoos outscored Wake Forest 9-7 in overtime after finishing regulation knotted 56-56. They overcame poor shooting performances from Key (2-for-16) and Casey Morsell (1-for-7), but right on brand, it was their defense that secured them the win. On the final possession in overtime, the Hoos forced Wake Forest into a shot-clock violation, ending the game and giving them their 13th win of the year.